This Application claims the benefit of 371 PCT/DE99/01510 filed May 20, 1999.
The invention relates to a system for controlling the motion of a vehicle.
A control system for a total vehicle is known from SAE paper 980200 xe2x80x9cCartronicxe2x80x94An Open Architecture for Networking the Control Systems of an Automobilexe2x80x9d by Torsten Bertram, Rainer Bitzer, Rainer Mayer and Asmus Volkart (Feb. 23 to 26, 1998). In this system, the individual components or objects of the vehicle control are arranged in the context of a pregiven structure having pregiven communication relationships. The structure includes different detailing levels and the uppermost level comprises the components xe2x80x9cvehicle coordinatorxe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9ccontrol for the drivexe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9ccontrol for the vehicle motionxe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9ccontrol for the chassis/interior spacexe2x80x9d as well as the xe2x80x9ccontrol for the electrical on-board networkxe2x80x9d. This uppermost detailing level is shown in FIG. 11. The respective components are detailed in additional subordinate levels such as shown in FIG. 12 with the example of the component xe2x80x9cvehicle motionxe2x80x9d. In a first detailing level, this component comprises a coordinator for the vehicle motion, controls for propulsion and brake, for the steering and for the chassis.
For controlling the vehicle, the individual components communicate with each other in the context of permanent pregiven communication relationships. These include orders, acknowledgments, inquiries and requests. Desired quantities are transmitted by the order giver to the receiving components for adjustment via the communication relationship xe2x80x9corderxe2x80x9d. If the component to which the order has been given is not in the position to satisfy the order, then an acknowledgment is sent back which is possibly provided with the reasons therefore. In the figures, orders are shown as solid arrows with exclamation marks. The communication relationship xe2x80x9cinquiryxe2x80x9d serves for detecting data such as measurement quantities. In inquiries, the inquiring component asks data of the questioned component such as a measured value. This is symbolized in the figures by a broken arrow with a question mark. For requests, the requesting component transmits a value to the questioned component which should be adjusted by the requested component. This is symbolized in the figures with broken arrows having exclamation signs. The vehicle control takes place with the aid of the illustrated components as well as the interface definitions described hereinafter in the context of the above communication relationships.
The described software structure can be defined on any desired hardware structure and guarantees an optimal control of the vehicle. Here, the components influence each other only via few exactly defined interfaces via which the data as to physical quantities are transmitted. A further detailing of the components xe2x80x9cvehicle motionxe2x80x9d is not shown in this state of the art.
It is an object of the invention to provide a suitable structure for the component xe2x80x9cvehicle motionxe2x80x9d.
SAE paper 950759 (Feb. 27 to Mar. 2, 1995) entitled xe2x80x9cVDC, The Vehicle Dynamics Control System of Boschxe2x80x9d by Anton T. van Zanten, Rainer Erhard and Georg Pfaff discloses a dynamic vehicle motion controller with the aid of which the stability of the dynamic motion is maintained by inputting desired torques to the individual wheels.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/254,197 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,226,581, filed Apr. 2, 1998, disclosed how a dynamic vehicle motion control can be expanded by further control units such as steering actuators and/or chassis actuators. The arrangement described therein includes means for detecting quantities, which represent the dynamic vehicle motion, as well as the commands of the driver. The commands of the driver are detected by measuring quantities which the driver adjusts via the vehicle operator-controlled elements such as steering wheel angle, prepressure or brake pedal position and accelerator pedal position. Furthermore, the arrangement includes at least two control devices which carry out control interventions for stabilizing the vehicle. The control devices carry out these interventions with the aid of suitable actuators based on the detected quantities. At least one of the control devices intervenes in the steering of the vehicle. Furthermore, at least one of the control devices intervenes in the brakes and/or in the engine of the vehicle and/or a further control device intervenes in the chassis actuators. For the control interventions into the steering of the vehicle, the forward steering angle or the change of the forward steering angle is inputted, for example, as a desired value. This desired value is converted with the aid of an actuator control into corresponding signals for influencing the steering actuator. For carrying out the chassis control, preferably a value for the damping hardness or for the spring hardness or a value for the desired level to be adjusted is pregiven as a desired value. This desired value is converted with the aid of the actuator control into corresponding signals for influencing the chassis actuators.
The solution according to the invention described below provides a suitable structure for the component xe2x80x9cvehicle motionxe2x80x9d. This solution achieves also for this component the advantages of the concept, which is described in the state of the art, especially with respect to reducing complexity, the functionality, the exchangeability of subsystems, the advantages with respect to the development and incorporating new subsystems as well as for the improvement of existing subsystems and especially with respect to the interrelationship of different functions, et cetera. In this way, the complex network system can be mastered for controlling the vehicle motion in an advantageous manner.